African American

African American

As a result of Penn State’s far-reaching community partnerships, including cancer prevention efforts in Appalachia and sustainable greenhouse design and production in Africa, the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching has selected the University for its 2015 Community Engagement Classification. Initiatives at Penn State Berks are cited extensively in the report that led to this classification.

From attending an elegant gala to the unveiling of new Penn State historical markers, African-American Penn State alumni can relive good times and reconnect with old friends while helping current students during the 2012 Black Alumni Reunion at University Park, April 20-22. The Black Alumni Reunion, "2012 Blue-White: Black Alumni Reunion, The Collective,'' will include special dinners, tours, a career fair, student-alumni networking opportunities, exhibits and more.

From "Living Legends" to the "Divine Nine" to a TV tailgate, African-American Penn State alumni can relive good times and reconnect with old friends while helping current students during the 2010 Black Alumni Reunion at University Park, Sept. 10-12.

The educational exhibit "Opening Doors" that has been on display in the Surgical Waiting Room on the first floor of Penn State Milton S. Hershey during April has moved to the Whitaker Center in Harrisburg, Pa. The exhibit celebrates the contributions of African American academic surgeons to medicine and medical education and tells the stories of four pioneering surgeons and educators. These individuals exemplify excellence in their fields and continue the journey of excellence through the education and mentoring of young physicians and surgeons.

An educational exhibit, "Opening Doors," will be in the surgical waiting room on the first floor of Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center for the month of April. The exhibit celebrates the contributions of African-American academic surgeons to medicine and medical education and tells the stories of four pioneering surgeons and educators. These individuals exemplify excellence in their fields and continue the journey of excellence through the education and mentoring of young physicians and surgeons.

Anthony Leach, the 2009-10 Penn State laureate, offers his musical perspective on Black History Month, as many organizations and communities across America join together to celebrate the works and accomplishments of blacks across generations, industries and sensibilities.

Essence of Joy, under the direction of 2009-10 Penn State Laureate Anthony Leach, will present several events in January at the University Park campus in celebration of African-American musical traditions and the Martin Luther King Jr. national holiday. In addition, the choir will travel to Penn State Schuylkill for two days of workshops and performances.

The Center for Family Research in Diverse Contexts will host Kevin Thomas, assistant professor of African and African-American studies, sociology and demography at Penn State, as its featured speaker for "Friday Tea with the FRDC," from 12:15-1:15 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27 in 110 Henderson Building, University Park. Thomas will speak on the topic of family contexts and schooling differences between the children of immigrant and U.S.-born blacks.

Genetic diseases and genetically mixed populations can help researchers understand human diversity and human origins according to a Penn State physical anthropologist. "We wanted to get to a strategy to predict what a face will look like," said Mark D. Shriver, associate professor of biological anthropology. "We want to understand the path of evolution that leads to that part of the selection process." To pinpoint genes that influence the shape of the human face and head, Shriver began with an online database of genes linked to disease -- Online Mendelian Inheritance of Man.

To celebrate Black History Month, the Penn State All-Sports Museum will present "Breaking Barriers: The Story and Legacy of African-American Athletes at Penn State" and will welcome several accomplished speakers to talk about Penn State Athletics' rich African-American history. All programming for the series will be held in The Clemens Family Theatre at the All-Sports Museum.

The first DVD release from Fred Waring's America, "The Best of Fred Waring and the Pennsylvanians: Volume 1 - God's Trombones and other favorite Spirituals featuring Frank Davis," will premiere in the Penn State University Libraries at 2 p.m. Feb. 11, in Foster Auditorium, 101 Pattee Library. This DVD premiere is particularly significant as the featured baritone, Frank Davis, was first African-American to perform on "The Fred Waring Show."

With the help of friends, a 1983 alumnus has chronicled the history of African-Americans at Penn State and their contributions. His "labor of love" details and preserves black history at the University and is now the centerpiece of a new Web site dedicated to telling the African-American story at Penn State.

Blogs allow African-Americans to discuss HIV and AIDS in an unfiltered way that is both public and private, according to a Penn State researcher, and this exploration may lead to another way to distribute health messages to the African-American community.

A recent project gave two IST researchers access to unfiltered data on an African-American blog, allowing them to examine how members of the black community are connecting online to discuss HIV and AIDS.